York-Simcoe MP has near perfect vote record

PETER VAN LOAN WITH SON

An almost perfect voting record puts Conservative MP Peter Van Loan at the top of the parliamentary heap.
And he’s acted on behalf of York-Simcoe to get there.
Mr. Van Loan tops all 308 members of Parliament when it comes to the best voting record on the hill, according to recently released statistics.
Counting who showed up for votes in the House of Commons and who missed them is one of few ways to monitor an MP’s presence on Parliament Hill and, by implication, who is acting consistently on behalf of their riding.
With a 99.8-per-cent voting record, representing 496 individual votes on matters, Mr. Van Loan is well above the house average of 78 per cent.
“When first elected as Member of Parliament for York-Simcoe, I committed to working hard to deliver results for my constituents,” said Mr. Van Loan. “My strong voting record demonstrates my commitment to work hard.”
The closest local Liberal MP is John McCallum with an 87.3 per cent record, with Rathika Sitsabaiesan of the NDP showing up 92.3 per cent of the time to cast a yea or nay.
How Mr. Van Loan’s strong voting record translates to benefits for constituents and those who put their faith and vote behind him is evident in the number of local initiatives and government efforts to lower taxes, said the long-time Conservative MP first elected in 2004 and current leader of the house.
Regardless whether votes are considered simply toeing a party line or supporting strong party proposals, Mr. Van Loan said they are an important measure of who is showing up for work in the absence of public attendance records.
He added, as house leader, he is responsible for bringing issues to the table that shape governmental policy.
“The votes include many important measures our government is adopting to deliver jobs, growth and long-term prosperity for Canadians,” Mr. Van Loan said.
It goes beyond bringing specific benefits to a particular riding for Mr. Van Loan, who said York-Simcoe has similar priorities shared largely across the country concerning responsible budgets, lowered taxes and opportunities for businesses and families to get ahead.
But they do represent, in some cases, significant funding and legislative strategies on behalf of the federal government for local initiatives in Georgina and Simcoe County, he added.
For example, the $30 million Lake Simcoe Clean Up Fund was a federal first and funded more than 140 projects over the course of its five-year life span.
A commitment to extend the program during the 2012 budget resurrected its shelf space and kept the importance of environmental stewardship and local economic growth in the forefront as an issue, according to Mr. Van Loan.
Something not only important to those who use the lake as a source of drinking water, but also to many whose livelihoods depend on the roughly $200 million of economic activity generated annually from Lake Simcoe.
Acts to protect the lake from invasive species were also a first under the federal Conservatives.
Millions of dollars in federal funding were also awarded to Georgina’s Recreational Outdoor Campus (ROC) and Bradford’s Leisure Centre during the past decade, in addition to family tax credits for sports, fitness and arts programs.
News like the recent senate committee investigation of whether Sen. Patrick Brazeau broke any rules by claiming his primary residence was his father’s home to receive a $20,000 taxpayer-subsidized housing allowance, however, work against the image of MPs working hard for their constituents.
It creates an image for some of MPs who get paid large salaries, don’t show up for work, and milk every dollar out of the taxpayer.
But Mr. Van Loan said he keeps a vigilant eye on every taxpayer penny at his disposal.
Mr. Van Loan said he has rented the same apartment eight blocks from Parliament Hill while doing the nation’s business on behalf of York-Simcoe constituents since 2004 and keeps his travel expenses well below the MP average by driving most of the time when travelling back and forth between Ottawa and his home.